


M E R C Y

by word_vomit (FallingStars5683)



Category: Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: Creative License, Gen, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23340268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingStars5683/pseuds/word_vomit
Summary: Casey is a normal girl with normal problems.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	1. 5 DAYS BEFORE OBLIVION

Casey needed to get home. Her parents were waiting on her for her midterm report, and she'd rather not stay around the school just then. Her bully, Raymond, was lurking around with some of his friends, and she wanted to be able to do her work without him breathing down her neck. Maybe Eddie was free to come over. Eddie was her best friend; he never dumped her for dumb people. She could trust Eddie.

Her grades were good. Her parents weren't completely satisfied, though—that B+, make it an A, the usual—and she wasn't allowed to invite Eddie over to study. Or...“study”. They could never focus when they were in the same room. The gigglies overtook them, and then one of them was busting out a videogame, and oh no there goes two hours of precious time. It was fine, though. They were the perfect team, and always helped each other catch up. She was sure at least one of them would make it into a good college with no issue at all.

Which presented another issue: did she even want to go? She knew that her parents expected her to go; every parent wanted their kid to succeed. But, she wasn't really an academic. Sure, she kept up with her grades well enough, but her heart was hardly in it. She loved the arts, music, drawing, all that good stuff. Going to college to learn how to draw when she could just pull up a tutorial on her phone seemed like a wasted effort. She didn't even mind the prospect of working a couple of odd jobs and keeping a small apartment, as long as she was doing it all on her own time.

Well, she had another year to figure it out. It was almost May, and the weather was nice and warm, having completely shaken off the cold of winter and promising a great summer before her senior year. She supposed she should look at colleges to keep her parents happy, at least. Listlessly, she clicked open another tab on her laptop.

An empty search bar greeted her.

Casey had no idea what to search.

After a moment of blank staring, she finally typed in UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.

Not for herself, of course. For Eddie.

The University of Chicago was Eddie's dream school, apparently a solid place for independent scientific research. He wanted to become an astrobiologist, and poured his time (when they weren't messing around) into all sorts of space and genetic study outside of their school curriculum. Not difficult, considering their school kinda sucked, but it was dedication nonetheless. He'd done stellar on both the ACT and the SAT, and was already prepping to apply.

Eddie was focused. Determined. A man of sheer integrity, as she always jokingly said. Only it wasn't really a joke.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the folded sheet of paper she'd shoved under her laptop.

She wondered if she should tell him.

…

Maybe another time. She had to worry about her own problems.

Casey spent the rest of the night studying and doing her homework, putting those annoying and inconvenient thoughts to the back of her mind. Another problem for another day.


	2. 4 DAYS BEFORE DESTRUCTION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie has news for Casey.

The day went just like any other, for the most part. Right up until last period, when Eddie approached her. That was normal. What wasn't normal was what he said next:

“Can you meet me in the park today instead of the usual?”

The usual was a small diner a block away from the high school, which Casey and Eddie frequented for their killer malts. The park, however, was a ways past that, near the center of town. It wasn't large, but it was a favorite of parents with children and dog owners. How strange it was that he'd ask to meet there of all places, but she let it go and agreed, and after school she found herself waiting there for him to arrive.

Thoughts of the things he might want to talk about crowded her mind, making her feel sick. Did something happen with his family? Was it her? Did she do something wrong? Maybe she didn't help him study for the last English test well enough?

_Did he know about the paper?_

Dread and uncertainty clouded her vision, turning her off to when Eddie finally _did_ show up. “Uh...Casey? You there?”

“Huh? Oh—uh, sorry.” She scooted over on the bench. “So, uh, what did you wanna come all the way out here for?”

Eddie graciously accepted the seat, taking a breath and looking off into the trees. It was a beautiful warm day, the sun still resting nicely in the sky. “...South Carolina's a nice state.”

...Um. “Yeah?”

“Sorry, just kinda...was thinking about some stuff. Am I stalling?”

“A little. I'm getting nervous here, man!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Quit apologizing.”

“Right. S--” He caught himself. Apologizing unnecessarily was a bad habit of his, one he had mostly broken except when he was nervous.

Which made _her_ nervous. “Come on, man. Just say it.” She braced for the worst.

Eddie blinked. Fidgeted a bit. Averted his gaze. “...Well...I...applied to UChicago a bit early. Just, you know...to see if I could.”

That was unexpected. “...Yeah?”

“And.”

“And?”

“Well.”

“ _Well?_ ”

“I got in.”

Casey opened her mouth to parrot that once more out of annoyance, but then froze. “...You...got in.”

“Yeah.”

As if on a timer, a sudden and horrible tidal wave of conflicting emotions washed over her—jealousy and anger and happiness and pride and despair and “That's great!”

Slowly, Eddie smiled again, mirroring the look on his best friend's face. “Yeah...yeah! I didn't want to say anything yet, just in case I didn't get it, because then I could just apply this fall, but—how it's gonna work is, I'll still be a senior this next year, technically, but I'll be taking college courses at the university to gain credits for my major.”

_rage and pain and elation and betrayal and resentment and_

She blinked. “...So...you'll be going to the campus?”

“Yeah. I'll be moving up there to live in a dorm.” He flashed her a smile. “We might not get to graduate together. Sorry.”

“No, it's okay! This is great for you!”

_**abandonment and sadness and sadness and loneliness and lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely** _

The smile on his face was now completely sincere, unhindered by doubt. “I'm glad! I was kind of scared you'd flip out, since this whole thing is kind of new, but I got the full details a couple days ago. You're the first person to know.”

“Hey, you know me.” She crossed her heart. “I'm never gonna flip out over my best friend's achievements. You earned this, Eddie.”

He nodded, relief on his face. “I'm gonna tell my parents tonight when I get back. I hope they take it as well as you.”

“I'm sure they'll take it even better!”

“Nice.” He fist-bumped her. “See you tomorrow for some videogames?”

“Sure!”

And with that, they departed. Casey may have kept a smile on her face for the rest of the evening, but it slowly became more and more distant and cold, until eventually it shattered like thin glass as she lay in bed, staring at her ceiling.

Eddie was going away. Several states away, faster than she thought. She wasn't prepared, she had so much to say—was it even worth it? He was her only friend. She'd waited so long because she wanted it to stay that way, but it was coming to eat her alive. What a miserable turn of events.

Was she being selfish? Yes. Did she realize this? Of course she did. It only served to make her feel worse, especially considering she found she couldn't stop herself.

The loneliness and grief started to consume her, sapping her even of her ability to cry, leaving her nothing but an empty void to cling to...and as she stared blankly at her black bedroom walls, it almost felt as if they were staring back.


	3. 3 DAYS BEFORE CONSUMPTION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey's problems catch up to her.

Even Eddie could tell that there was something wrong. Casey shrugged it off as nothing, just a stomachache, she'd be fine, but just looking at his face made her feel like punching through a wall. It was through no fault of his own, certainly. Here he was, being successful and knowing what he wants to do and becoming a great member of the world, and leaving her behind like they said they would never do to each other.

No. This was her fault. She didn't try hard enough, keep her eyes open, keep herself looking forward to what she wanted. It felt as if the entire world—no, the entire _galaxy—_ was looking at her, judging, disgusted with her for not doing more. And none of them would pity such a useless girl.

She couldn't even give away a note she wrote two years ago.

Pathetic.

Useless.

Videogames pulled her away from that hole, though, if only for a little while. A cutesy beat-em-up platformer, no real story, just satisfying action. This was one thing Casey could excel in that Eddie could never match, no matter how hard he tried. It was just a gift, really. After another round, he sat back, annoyed. “ _How_ do you _do that?_ ”

She shrugged, a bit cheered. “Too much time on my hands. I practice a lot.”

“Can you pass me some of that practice?”

“Only if you pass me some of that academic prowess, Mr. College Man.”

“Really? _That's_ the best you can come up with?”

“Hey, I'm trying here! There aren't a whole lot of ways to twist an accomplishment like that into a insult!”

He smirked. “You could make a joke about me going into debt, as so many others would.”

“When you obviously got scholarships out the ass? Come on.”

“Ehhhh, you're right. How'd you know?”

She gave him a smile that wasn't meant to be sad. “You're Eddie. Duh.”

As much as he wanted to smile back...“Casey, you alright?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I'm good.”

“You sure? You've been off all day. Can't be just a stomachache, or else you wouldn't be kicking my ass right now.”

She blinked at that, trying to think of a way around it, before sighing and dropping her gaze. She knew he was right. She just...wasn't sure what to say. “...It's nothing important. You shouldn't be worrying about it.”

“No, no no no, when you say that, you know it only makes me more adamant.” He set down his controller and scooted over. “What's wrong? Is it school, home, what?”

“No, no...really, it's nothing.”

“What is it?”

“Not important.”

“It's important if it's bothering you.”

“It's really not.”

“Come ooooon.”

Her eyes met his, pleading. “ _Eddie._ ”

...He seemed to get the hint. This, of course, did nothing to break his resolve. “...Alright, but the longer you sit on it, the more it'll hurt. You know that.”

This was her bad habit. One she'd never really been able to break. Not really.

They sat in silence for a moment.

Then, slowly, as if afraid he'd bite, Casey slowly leaned her head against his shoulder. Her body felt heavy and hollow at the same time. “...I'm gonna miss you,” she mumbled, looking away.

Oh. Oh, _that's_ what this was about. Eddie sighed, bringing one arm up around his best friend's shoulders. “Hey. It's not right away; you'll have me for the whole summer. And then, when I'm in Chicago, I'll be texting all the time. We can play games online together, I'll come visit for holiday breaks...we'll make it work. I'm not just gonna leave you here to suffer by yourself.”

That made her feel...a little better. This wasn't forever. They'd still see each other. Everything would be okay. The blackness in her heart loosened a little bit.

Now, if only she had the will to fetch that note.

Regardless, she smiled. “Thanks. I was kinda worried, gonna be honest.”

“It's alright. I probably should have seen this coming. We've been friends for so long, this was inevitable.”

“I guess.”

His heart panged at that. How long had she let this eat at her? She would do anything for the sake of their friendship, he knew that, but he'd said so many times that she shouldn't be ripping herself apart over it. If something was wrong, she could trust him. That's how friendships worked.

The rest of the night was uneventful, though the two friends were a bit closer than they normally would be (though maybe not close enough for their liking). And, although the storm in Casey's heart had not yet stopped swirling, it at least gave her a bit of respite that night as she slept.


	4. 2 DAYS BEFORE ANNIHILATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Saturday.

Saturday.

The note sat on her desk.

It taunted her.

Casey couldn't focus on anything that day. Her mother kept her busy with chores and the like, but there was nothing to quell the thoughts running through her mind. That note was outdated and stupid, but it still existed, and still reflected a small part of herself.

She needed to share it.

She needed to burn it.

The feeling of being watched returned, bleeding through the shadows and burrowing into her brain.

She was losing her mind. Sleep would help.

Yeah. Just put this off.

Everything will be fine.


	5. 1 DAY BEFORE THE END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A voicemail.

Casey picked up her phone. She had school the next day, and she knew this would be a horrible decision because she and Eddie would see each other the next day, but she had to. She just had to. She couldn't let this go any longer.

He'd be studying, so she got his voicemail. That was fine. It would be fine.

“Hey, Eddie. It's, uh, it's Casey. I guess you already got that from the number, though, so...uh...well. I guess there was something else I didn't get to talk about on Friday. You know, when we were playing games. I just...it's kind of been on my mind for a little bit...a while...maybe two years or so. You know, not that long. Haha...um. Anyway. I kinda wanted to...well, get it out of the way so we could...I guess discuss it. Tomorrow, or something. Give you space to think. I dunno, just something. Anything. Maybe. _Mhm_...ugh. I'm stalling. I need to not do that...uh—well, I just wanted to say...this is going on too long, I'm so—no, I can't be that girl. I gotta just...say it...well...Eddie....I'm kind of...I'm in love with you. I'm...I'm sorry. I—”

_Click._


	6. AND BEFORE US, YOU PAY YOUR DELIVERANCE. WE GRANT YOU MERCY IN KIND.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodbye, and welcome.

Slowly, creakily, Casey opened her eyes. She felt as if she were dragging herself out of an endless pit of worry and despair. That message. Oh, god, why had she left that message. Her sleep had been fretful all night. Look, through the curtains, it was even still dark outside.

Realizing she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night, she stood and stretched, slipping her feet into her house shoes. It was a bit cold; she'd have to ask her dad to turn the A/C down. Maybe getting something to drink would calm her down.

She grabbed her phone and stepped silently downstairs to the kitchen, her parents still in bed. She was about to open the fridge before realizing via the microwave that the power was out. Great. No milk for her; just water. She poured herself a glass, allowing herself time to clear her head, before realizing.

Wait.

If the power was out...why was it still so cold?

...She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. Her breath in front of her was... _visible._ The glass in her hands...the water was turning to _ice._

Her hands were shaking.

“...Wh...what is this...?”

Her flashlight caught the window. It was...it was snowing.

Snowing heavily.

In May.

She dropped the glass. It shattered meaninglessly but loudly on the tile.

Would it be worth it to wake up her parents for this? What time was it?

…

8:45.

In the _morning?_ It was so...dark...outside...

Frantically, Casey gathered her coat and ran outside. No street lights were on or visible. The snow was blinding, covering the streets in its bizarre blizzard, chilling her to the bone. No one was awake. It was almost nine in the morning in May, everything was pitch black, and it was bone-chillingly cold.

“Hello???” she called. Somehow, her screaming brain found it to be the best thing to do. “Is anyone else seeing this??? _Hello?????_ ”

She spun around, lost and confused, and finally, defeated, looked to the confusingly black sky.

Only to find it looking back.

Casey dropped to her knees.

An unfathomably large and alien eye stared down from the skies above, blood red and cold as the ice that fell around her. There was no warning. No sign of it. It had simply come, silent as nothing else, and explained nothing.

There was a screaming. Maybe it was Casey. The blood on her face definitely could have been hers. She didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore.

The longer she looked up, the more the alien yet familiar eye stared into her soul, vacating everything she thought she was and leaving nothing behind. She couldn't...she couldn't feel anything anymore.

In the final seconds before she lost herself completely, she heard...someone. Something. Somewhere. Somewhen? Time had no meaning anymore. Nothing mattered. Nothing except the endless devouring void.

“ _...Eddie...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go watch some Kirby lore videos. They're fun.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
